Nelson and Rodney were designed below the Washington Treaty's nominal 35,000-ton ceiling, leaving the counterfactual surprisingly close to the historical ships. A 36,000- to 37,000-ton allowance could have preserved their guns and armour while raising designed speed to roughly 28 or 29 knots. Their demonstrated ability to exceed official figures suggests that actual performance might have been better still. Entering service with that combination would have produced an early fast battleship and made older capital ships look obsolete at a moment when treaty rules prevented immediate answers.
Notable Point · 48:48-50:40
A faster Nelson and Rodney under a looser treaty limit
A few thousand extra treaty tons might have turned Nelson and Rodney into the first true fast battleships.